Tonight, we are packing our bags for our Thanksgiving trip to Berlin and Hamburg. I’m absolutely obsessed with Christmas markets, and when I found out about the famous German Christmas markets during a visit to a mini Christkindlmarkt in Chicago in 2009, I knew I had to go to Germany around Christmas time to see this for myself.

I’ve decided to pack my teal peacoat for the trip. It’s made of thinsulate, so even though it is slimming, it is actually quite warm. I still remember the first time Ed saw me wear it last winter. He saw the color and said, “What is this? Why did you get a coat that color?” And then a few minutes later: “Would you consider returning it?” My brother thought that all jackets and coats should be black, brown, or some color in between. He was not a huge fan of colorful or bright clothing. In fact, when I remember now, pretty much all of his clothes were black, brown, tan, white, grey, or some shade of blue.

Since then, though, I’ve probably purchased even brighter colors since I’ve been trying to mix up what I wear and be more creative. Maybe the earthly Ed wouldn’t have liked it, but I think that the Ed I imagine in heaven would like it a lot, especially when he thinks about his petite little Asian sister walking through the throngs of people in Hamburg and Berlin, standing out in her bright teal peacoat. I’d be hard to miss, right?